Author's Notes: This is my first attempt to write a fic. Also, note that English is not my mother tongue, so please, be understanding. The story takes place during the Big Shell incident. It's written from Otacon's (italics) and Snake's (normal) point of view. Any feedback will be appreciated.
- Disclaimer: "Metal Gear" and all characters related to it belong to Konami Computer Entertainment Japan -
Chapter 2
As soon as the door separating Strut B and BC Connecting Bridge closed behind my back I smelled the bitter scent of blood in the air. The desperate screams and noise of the bullets ricocheting off the metal ceiling died away and the silence that filled the room made me feel even more tense.
Even though my mind was totally focused on the task at hand, I could still hear Otacon's laughter from a few minutes ago lingering in my head. It wasn't disturbing. More like… heartening.
I advanced forward, every muscle taut and ready for action. After taking a few tiptoes, I noticed the stains of red fluid that covered the path beneath my feet. It led straight into the Transformer Room. I followed the trail of blood still aiming the rifle at whoever dared to take me on. I approached the door and it opened with a loud swish exposing the sight that almost made me pull the trigger.
A tall man with an unnatural pale skin colour was creeping up behind a young kid, oblivious to the presence of the predator beside him.
"Get down!" An imperious growl escaped my mouth before I even realized it. Without waiting for the kid's response I opened fire at the mysterious assailant. But he was faster. He dodged the bullets with ease and sprang through the air as if defying the laws of gravity. After a second, he was gone.
"He must be here, somewhere" I thought while carefully moving forward. "Where is he?" I asked the young blonde man even though I knew his guess would be as good as mine. He didn't answer.
I took few more steps ahead when I heard a noise coming from right above me. Automatically, I looked up but failed to see anything. Suddenly I felt something sharp cutting through my arm and making me let go of the gun. The attacker instantly took advantage of my vulnerability, grasped me by the neck and threw me on the nearby wall. I grimaced with pain as my back whacked against the bulwark. His hand tightened his grip on me while his face drew closer to mine. He eyed me as if trying to see through my balaclava. His eyes were cold and hollow and his breath…
"Strange smell…" he said in a deep, husky voice, inhaling the air through the nose with a silent sniff "You smell like - !" he suddenly let go of me and I inertly fell to the floor. "Are you - it has to be!" the man's surprised voice was mixed with excitement. I rolled over onto my back to face the kid, standing a few feet away with my AK pointed at the assailant. He seemed baffled and I could see the fear in his eyes.
"Shoot him! What are you waiting for?" I shouted at him angrily and he obediently pulled the trigger
I jumped up abruptly at the sound of the shots reverberating deep in my ear. The Codec receiver rang out without any warning and the very noise made me break into a heavy sweat.
"Snake!" I screamed. "What's going on?" I bent an ear to make out his possible response but failed to hear anything apart from the faint noise of unfamiliar voice and irregular footsteps.
I could feel my heart pounding with a heavy beat as if it was trying to leap out of my chest.
Darn it. It's always like this. Every time he'd engage in a battle, I'd almost die of a heart attack. I'd end up screaming hysterically his name and he'd eventually respond with a soothing tone of voice trying to calm me down.
But this time the silence on his side lasted far too long.
Something must have happened. He may be in trouble.
No, wait. He definitely IS in trouble.
I should go and find him. And help him.
Without waiting any longer, I stood up and laid my hand on the knob of the locker.
"Don't even think about it, Otacon." Dave's semi-serious warning filled my inner ear and made me heave a sigh of relief.
"Snake! What happened? Why weren't you answering?" I knew that my whining would piss him off eventually but I just couldn't help it.
"Take it easy, Otacon. Nothing happened. I've just had…"
"…an unexpected encounter?" I added ironically.
"Yeah, something like that. Look, I'm sorry, but I really couldn't answer". He knew how to placate me. I started to believe him already. "I met a guy. He seems to have something to do with Foxhound. He may be of some us to us."
"Foxhound?" I was genuinely surprised.
"Yup. I don't know how's that possible since Foxhound was disbanded, but apparently, he's one of them."
"Did he recognize you? I mean, does he know that you're…"
"No. He took the bait. As far as he's concerned, my cover's intact. But one of the Dead Cell members identified me. Soon, they'll all know that I'm here."
"Doesn't matter. Forget about them for now. Our top priority is to defuse the bombs. That's why you have to find Stillman. You should hurry up before they get their hands on him."
"You're right." He answered approvingly.
"Snake…?" I asked hesitantly.
"Yeah?"
"This guy… Are you going to team up with him?" I tried not to sound too worried.
"Dunno. He seems to have some skills but he's still green. VR trainee. Besides, I don't know if I can trust him. I don't plan to join forces although I have a hunch that we're going to run into each other quite often." A small pause. "Why are you asking?" That's the question that I was afraid of.
"Oh, it's nothing. Just wanted to know…" I said in a dismissive manner but he noticed the doubt in my voice and carried on.
"Otacon…?What's wrong?" My silly questions raised his suspicions.
"I told you. It's nothing. Snake, there's no time. Go and find this Stillman already." It didn't feel right to hang up like this on the legendary Solid Snake, but I had no other choice. One more nudge and I'd start confessing. And he didn't need it right now.
I was sitting on the stairs of the Transformer Room, a little confused by Otacon's last words, trying to come up with a rationale behind his strange behavior. This guy was just full of surprises. His demeanor seemed to depend on some unknown factor that even I found difficult to guess sometimes.
But there were few possibilities.
Maybe he was just stressed out. After all, it was the first time I ever took him with me on a mission and forced him to carry a gun. Not to count Shadow Moses, as that was a whole different story…
Or maybe he was worried about his sister. He hadn't seen her for so long… he was probably nervous at the very thought of meeting her and all and decided to take it out on me. Wouldn't be the first time, though.
Or maybe… he was just plainly…
Nah. It's not like him. Otacon would never give in to something as primitive as…
"Snake? I know you've got plenty of time but our friend may not hold on that long. Could you possibly go and find him sometime this year?" I heard his annoyed voice in my ear. His favourite ironic phrase never failed to amuse me though I tried not to show it.
"Otacon, are you jealous?" I couldn't refrain from asking.
"What?" His immediate reaction only confirmed my suspicions.
"Are you jealous?" I repeated patiently. "And don't try to retort with this silly 'there's no time' argument. Just answer my question."
He fell silent. I could see the image of him in my mind; looking down on his feet, blushing and desperately looking for some intelligent response.
"Heh. You're cute sometimes, you know that?" I said with a smirk on my face and terminated the connection.
To be continued...
